Hendrick: 'We got to go to work'

Tuesday

Nov 29, 2011 at 12:01 AMAug 15, 2012 at 3:29 PM

GODWIN KELLY, Motorsports Editor

Rick Hendrick said Monday that his organization got "whipped" by Stewart-Haas Racing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup title and suggested it's time for his four teams to roll up their sleeves and get back to work.

When Tony Stewart claimed his third Cup title last week, it ended a five-year run by Hendrick Motorsports and its top driver, Jimmie Johnson.

Hendrick supplied the engines and chassis for Stewart during his extraordinary run.

Stewart won five races in the playoffs, including the season finale, to edge Ford's Carl Edwards for the title.

Johnson finished sixth in the Chase, Hendrick Motorsports' best showing.

"I would feel a whole lot different if we got beat by other equipment because they had better motors and better chassis than we do," Hendrick said in a teleconference.

"Getting beat by your own stuff, you got to look in the mirror and say 'OK, we had the same things they did, they whipped us and now we got to go to work.' I think most of the equipment in the garage area is pretty even.

"People make the difference. I got to give it to Tony and (crew chief) Darian Grubb and (co-owner) Gene Haas and that whole organization. They turned it on there at the end, and they were not going to be denied."

Grubb, who was Stewart's crew chief for three years, has already split from Stewart-Haas Racing, a move that was planned before the end of the season. Stewart fired Grubb in mid-October but allowed him to stay with the team through the Chase. On Monday, Steve Addington was named Stewart's new crew chief.

While the job market is horrendous for those who work in the racing business -- layoffs have been rampant -- Grubb will entertain a wave of offers because of his unique skill set and knowledge.

Hendrick said he would like to keep Grubb in house. Hendrick Motorsports does not have a crew chief position available, but the team has an opening for a senior engineer.

"I have had discussions with Darian," Hendrick said. "When he left us, I told him we'd always have a place for him if he wanted to come back.

"Darian is a very smart guy. I know he's entertaining a lot of offers out there. At the end of the day, it's got to be what Darian wants to do."

Hendrick also said he continues to recover from injuries suffered a month ago when his private jet crashed while landing in Key West.

Hendrick suffered four fractured ribs and a broken shoulder.

The 62-year-old said he will not attend NASCAR's championship week in Las Vegas.

"Trying to sleep and move and getting therapy takes most of the day," Hendrick said. "I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I don't bounce back quite as quick.

"I'll take it easy here (in Charlotte) for a few more weeks, continue my therapy. I'm able to sleep in a bed this week after sleeping in a chair for three weeks. That was no fun."

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